(Continued from page 21)

• PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) -- Two students at a school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have been awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship to use at the college or university of their choice.
• Red Cloud Indian School seniors Shane Star and Stormy Williams are two of the 1,000 students selected nationwide for the award. The award provides scholarships to 1,000 minority students.
• While at Red Cloud, Star excelled at math. He plans to major in either civil or mechanical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines.
• Star said receiving the scholarship was exhilarating.
• "I was so excited," he said. "I couldn't stop smiling."
• Williams took Advanced Placement classes in math and English and competes in powwows across the state. She plans to study medicine at the University of New Mexico. She said she was in shock when she received the heavy package indicating she had won the Gates Scholarship.
• "Receiving the Gates Scholarship helped me see how my past experiences and struggles have helped shape me into who I am today, while also giving me the confidence to pursue all of my goals," Williams said.
•

• ABERDEEN, S.D. (AP) -- NorthWestern Energy has started operating a natured-gas fired plant in Aberdeen to help meet electricity needs during times of peak demand.
• The $55 million, 60-megawatt facility can produce enough electricity to power about 18,000 homes.
• NorthWestern Energy is still doing some finishing work at the plant, including fencing, landscaping, paving and painting. A dedication ceremony is planned in the summer.
•

• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Federal officials have been meeting with state and local officials in South Dakota to coordinate the dispersal of emergency funding to help affected areas recover from a three-day snowstorm last month that caused millions of dollars in damage.
• President Barack Obama earlier this month approved a disaster declaration for

(Continued on page 23)